Woman at heart of US trial says she was addicted to social media at age six
The young woman at the heart of the landmark trial about the addictive nature of social media testified for the first time on Thursday, saying she got hooked on YouTube starting at age six and Instagram at nine,By the time she was 10, she said, she had become depressed and was engaging in self-harm,The woman, who is now 20 and known by her initials KGM, is the lead plaintiff in an expansive lawsuit against YouTube and Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook,The crux of the case alleges social media companies intentionally create addictive products, leading to mental health issues in young people,KGM testified on Thursday that her use of social media made her anxious and insecure, and features like beauty filters distorted her self-image.
But when her mother took away her cellphone, KGM said she would become filled with panic that she was missing out on something,She said she still uses social media today,“I can’t, it’s too hard to be without it,” she said when questioned by her lawyer in Los Angeles county superior court, according to Reuters,The cycle of social media use caused KGM to have strained relationships with her family and in school, she said,She said she had suicidal thoughts and began cutting herself as a “coping mechanism to deal with my depression”.
The trial is the first in a consolidated group of cases brought against Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snap on behalf of more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including more than 350 families and 250 school districts.KGM’s case is also the first of more than 20 “bellwether” trials, which are used to gauge juries’ reactions and potential verdicts, as well as set legal precedent.If jurors rule in favor of the plaintiffs, the social media companies could face harsh financial penalties and mandates to change the way their platforms function.KGM’s lawyers allege that some of the features these social media companies built into their platforms, such as infinite scroll and video autoplay, are designed to keep people on the apps and add to their addictive quality.The lawyers also allege that “like” buttons feed into teens’ desire for validation.
Their legal arguments mirror those brought against big tobacco in the 1990s.TikTok and Snap were originally named as defendants in KGM’s case, but just before the trial began last month, both companies reached settlement agreements, the terms of which have not been publicly disclosed.Meta and YouTube deny wrongdoing in the case.A YouTube spokesperson, José Castañeda, called the allegations in the lawsuits “simply not true” and said that providing young people with a “safer, healthier experience has always been core to our work”.Meta filed a brief on Wednesday arguing that KGM’s mental health issues were exacerbated by a difficult home life.
“The evidence will show she faced many significant, difficult challenges well before she ever used social media,” said Liza Crenshaw, a Meta spokesperson,KGM, who now works as a personal shopper at Walmart, testified on Thursday that her mother had occasionally been abusive and hit her, according to Reuters,But she also testified that her mother was a loving parent who was working hard to raise three children,KGM said she still lives with her mother,In the coming days, jurors are expected to hear from KGM’s mother, Karen, and a child and adolescent psychiatrist, Kara Bagot.
KGM’s former therapist, Victoria Burke, testified on Wednesday, saying she worked with KGM over several months when she was 13 and 14 and diagnosed her with body dysmorphic disorder and social phobia, according to NBC News.The therapist said the teen would often turn to her phone to make it look as if she were “doing something rather than sitting and being perceived as having no friends”.Burke said she believes social media was a “contributing factor” in KGM’s mental health issues.Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Meta; Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram; and Cristos Goodrow, the vice-president of engineering at YouTube, also testified over the past two weeks.The trial, which began in late January, is expected to continue for another two to four weeks.
UK parents fear young will be worse off for first time in a century, ex-minister warns
The number of young people in the UK not working or in education has risen closer to a million, figures show, as a government adviser warned that for the first time in a century parents do not think their children will have a better life than them.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of people aged 16 to 24 who were not in education, employment or training (Neet) rose to 957,000 in the final three months of last year, equating to 12.8% of this age group.The figure was up from 946,000 in July to September, but down by 14,000 from a year earlier. The number of young women classed as Neet rose by 13,000 while the number of young men fell by 2,000
World Economic Forum CEO quits after Epstein links examined; Ineos Quattro earnings fall – as it happened
The president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende, is stepping down, after the forum launched an independent investigation into his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Brende, a former Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has announced he is stepping down from WEF to avoid “distractions”.In a statement just released, Brende says:double quotation markAfter careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World Economic Forum. My time here, spanning 8½ years, has been profoundly rewarding.We have seen a record number of partners join us, and we have had a very successful Annual Meeting in Davos behind us, where we engaged with governmental leaders from all over the world like never before
Tell us: how are your finances looking ahead of the spring forecast?
Next Tuesday the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will update the country on the state of the economy when the spring forecast is delivered to parliament.The government is not expected to make major announcements on taxes and spending but will include the latest forecasts for growth, details of the UK’s financial position and hint at the changes we might expect in future.We would like to hear from you. How are you feeling about your finances right now and has anything improved or worsened over the past year?You can tell us about your financial situation using this form.Please include as much detail as possible
Rolls-Royce boss pushes for UK taxpayer support for new jet engine
The chief executive of Rolls-Royce has pressed ministers for taxpayer support for a new jet engine, on a day the company also announced record profits and promised to give up to £9bn back to shareholders.The £3bn engine project, designed to power smaller commercial planes, would allow Rolls-Royce to re-enter the lucrative short-haul flights market.Tufan Erginbilgiç said on Thursday: “Not supporting it would be a sort of strange thing to do,” given Labour had named advanced manufacturing as a priority in its industrial strategy, released last summer.Rolls-Royce has already spent more than £1bn on the project, while it has reportedly asked the UK government to initially provide between £100m and £200m to develop and test the UltraFan 30 engine.Erginbilgiç said: “There are all sorts of numbers out there
WPP to sell assets and cut jobs in radical shake-up to counter AI threat
The beleaguered UK advertising group WPP has announced a radical restructure to counter the threat posed by the growth of artificial intelligence, including plans to sell assets and job cuts.Aiming to be “a simpler, lower-cost, AI-enabled business”, the London-based company laid out plans to achieve £500m of annual savings by 2028, at a cost of £400m over two years.Cindy Rose, the chief executive who took over last summer, said the company was “unveiling a bold plan for a simpler, more integrated WPP that’s fit for the future and built to win”. It has struggled to stem a growing exodus of clients and is racing to match the AI and data capabilities of rivals, amid fears that AI will allow customers to bring more marketing functions in-house.Rose said WPP had identified several assets that it wanted to shed, without naming them
Ocado to cut 1,000 jobs in £150m cost-saving drive
Ocado is to cut 1,000 jobs as the retail technology business attempts to slash £150m in costs through a substantial restructuring programme.The company confirmed that about 5% of its global workforce will be affected. About two-thirds of the jobs are expected to go from the UK, where the company is based in Hatfield, Hertfordshire. About half the jobs going are in technology, with the rest made up of support staff.The business, which provides technology for robotic warehouses for supermarket chains, said it plans to scale back research and development, helping it cut about £150m in technology and support costs in 2026
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